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Priority climate actions for cities identified in new report

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UK Press Team
8 December 2015

The C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group (C40) and Arup have released Potential for Climate Action.

The report has found 27,000 specific actions that cities have yet to undertake as they work towards low carbon and climate resilient development. Within these actions the report identifies 2,300 high -impact, readily achievable actions that could save a massive 450 MtCO2 by 2020 - equivalent to the annual emissions of the United Kingdom.

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Our research shows that cities still have many valuable opportunities to scale up their actions and make even greater strides towards emissions reductions and climate resilience. As international climate negotiations continue, there is a fundamental role for business and civil society, as well as government at all levels, to facilitate cities’ ongoing climate leadership. This report presents a roadmap on how to achieve this sustainable progress. ” Greg Hodkinson Arup Chair

These 2,300 priority actions, which can be unlocked for $6.8bn, represent the projects that will have the highest impact in terms of reducing emissions in C40 Cities, or which can most realistically be implemented, through existing powers or collaboration with other cities.

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The road from COP21 is now clear because we understand very concretely the further action cities can take to make a global impact in tackling climate change. The leadership of cities is unequivocal, but there is no question that barriers remain – the most significant being access to finance and a need for greater governmental co-ordination. Fortunately, C40 is leading the way on both fronts, providing solutions and a model for collaboration that will enable cities to reach their full potential to slash carbon emissions in the critical years ahead. ” Eduardo Paes C40 Chair and Mayor of Rio de Janeiro

The report further demonstrates that access to funding is the single biggest obstacle to cities delivering greater climate action, even bigger than the challenges posed by politics and legalislature.

Arup has worked with C40 since 2009, to develop strategic pieces of research that are central to progressing an understanding of how cities contribute to global climate change mitigation and adaptation. In June, Arup and C40 announced the formation of a collaborative global partnership to develop and deliver rigorous research, to improve the measurement, management and strategic planning of climate action in cities. Over the next three years, Arup will invest $1 million into research through the Arup-C40 partnership.